DECODING LIFE

BIOTECHNOLOGY GALLERY

Prepared by:

Kamaljit kaur, AEO

PGSC, Kapurthala

ABOUT THE GALLERY

The gallery introduces to cells, DNA, RNA- Science of

genetics as well as provide an opportunity to explore

the wonders and applications of biotechnology

JOURNEY INTO THE CELL

• Exhibit demonstrates aboutdifferent organelles of the cell.

• when one presses the buttonindicating a particularorganelle, it glows up and theinformation about the same isalso exhibited.

• An interactive exhibit.

JOURNEY INTO THE CELL (General Information)

• Cell is the basic structural and functional unit.

• Nucleus is brain of the cell and holds genetic material and coordinates the cell’s activities.

• Two types of cells are Prokaryotic & Eukaryotic.

• Prokaryotic cells do not have membrane bound organelles.

• Eukaryotic cells have membrane bound organelles.

Cell Tissue organOrgan System

• Plant cell and animal cell areEukaryotic.

• Animal cell is different form plantcell because of absence of cellwall & chloroplast.

• Different organelles performdifferent functions.

•

JOURNEY INTO THE CELL (Additional Information)

• Golgi apparatus (protein storage) modifies

proteins & lipids.

• Mitochondria: is known as

power house of the cell and is

responsible for cellular

respiration.

• Endoplasmic reticulum plays

important role in the production,

processing, and transport

of proteins and lipids.

JOURNEY INTO THE CELL (Additional Information)

Lysosomes: Breaks down waste in an animal cell.

• Cytoplasm: Fills out the space and gives shape to the cell. Keeps organelles intheir place.

• Centrioles: are used through cell division.

Ribosomes: Aids in Protein synthesis.

Ribosomes

GROWTH PROCESS (General Information)

• The exhibit demonstrates the process ofcell division.

• Cell division : Division of a cell into two

daughter cells with the same genetic

material.

• Types of cell division : Mitosis & Meiosis

• Mitosis: is a process where a single cell divides into two identical

daughter cells (equational division).It occurs in somatic cells.

• Five stages: prophase, prometaphase, metaphase, anaphase,

and telophase.

GROWTH PROCESS- Cell Division (Additional Information)

Cont...

GROWTH PROCESS- Cell Division (Additional Information)

• Meiosis is a process where a single cell divides

twice to produce four cells containing half

the original amount of genetic information

(reductional division). It occurs in germinal

cells.

• Meiosis is divided into meiosis I and meiosis II

which are further divided into Karyokinesis I

& Cytokinesis I and Karyokinesis II &

Cytokinesis II respectively.

GROWTH PROCESS- Cell Division (Additional Information)

• The division of nucleus (that occurs in four

stages as detailed in the previous slides) is

called Karyokinesis.

• Cytokinesis is the division of cells after

either mitosis or meiosis I and II. During

cytokinesis, the cytoplasm (the liquid center

of the cell that holds the organelles into

place) splits into two equal halves, and the

cell becomes two daughter cells.

CHROMOSOMAL SEQUENCE IN CELL

• The exhibit demonstratesidentification of missing setsof chromosomes andarranging these in a particularsequence.

• An interactive exhibit

CHROMOSOMAL SEQUENCE IN CELL (General Information)

• Exhibit shows different types of chromosomes depending upontheir size and shape.

• Human body has total 44 autosomes and 2 sex chromosomes.

Interesting Facts

• The number of Chromosome pairs in each life form are different

• To date, the organism with least number of chromosomes ismale Australian ant, Myrmecia pilosula, with one chromosomeper cell (male ants are generally haploid—that is, they have halfthe number of normal chromosomes while the female ant hastwo chromosomes per cell).

• Ophioglossum, a fern, has the highest chromosome. It has 630pairs of chromosomes or 1260 chromosomes per cell

CHROMOSOMAL SEQUENCE IN CELL (Additional Information)

• Karyotype is a test to identify and evaluatethe size, shape, and number ofchromosomes.

• Karyotyping is the process of pairing andordering all the chromosomes of anorganism.

• In humans Autosomes are numbered 1-22 indecreasing size order.

• Extra or missing chromosomes, or abnormalpositions of chromosome pieces, can causeproblems with a person's growth,development, and body functions.

CHROMOSOME (General Information)

• Chromosomes are tiny structures inside cellsmade from DNA and protein.

• It is found in the nucleus of every cell

• Humans have 23 pairs of chromosomes (44autosomes & 2 sex chromosomes).

• Humans have about 30,000 genes in their 46chromosomes

• It carries hereditary information.e.g. eye color,height etc.

CHROMOSOME (Additional Information)

• Chromosomes are structures within cellsthat contain a person's genes

• Each chromosome is made up of DNA tightlycoiled many times around proteins calledhistones that support its structure

• Different organisms have different numbersof chromosomes

• Sex Chromosomes determine whether oneis Male or Female

THREADS OF LIFE

• The exhibit demonstratesabout the genetic material

• DNA-Deoxyribonucleic acid

• RNA- Ribonucleic acid

THREADS OF LIFE (General Information)

• DNA – Deoxyribonucleic Acid

• It is the genetic material of most of the livingorganisms.

• It is present in the Nucleus of cell

• It is a Double helix, twisted ladder Likestructure

• DNA carries genetic information of an organism.

• DNA model is also known as Watson & Crick model

• Chemical composition- deoxyribose sugar, phosphateand nitrogenous base

• DNA has Purines- Adenine, Guanin and pyrimidines –Cytosine, Thymine.

• Adenine pairs with Cytosine & Guanine pairs withThymine.

• Each strand of DNA has a beginning and an end, called5’ (five prime) and 3’ (three prime) respectively.

• The two strands run in the opposite direction(antiparallel) to each other so that one runs 5’ to 3’and one runs 3’ to 5’, they are called the sense strandand the antisense strand, respectively.

THREADS OF LIFE (Additional Information)

RIBONUCLEIC ACID (General Information)

• RNA- Ribonucleic Acid

• RNA is the geneticmaterial in viruses andbacteria

• Unlike DNA it is singlestranded

• It has ribose sugarinstead of deoxyribosesugar

RIBONUCLEIC ACID (Additional Information)

• Nucleic acid-RNA is a genetic material that can be inherited fromgeneration to the next.

• RNA is a single stranded and less stable as compared to the DNA.

• RNA is made up of 3 parts- ribose sugar, phosphate and nucleotide base

• The nucleotide bases that make up RNA area-Adenine, Cytosine,Guanine and Uracil in place of Thymine.

• RNA is a crucial element in making proteins from DNA.

• There are 3 types of RNA-

1. Messenger RNA(mRNA)

2. Transfer RNA (tRNA)

3. Ribosomal RNA(rRNA)

COVID 19 is a

RNA

DNA REPLICATION (General Information)

•DNA replication is theprocess by which DNA makesa copy of itself during celldivision.

THREADS OF LIFE (Additional Information)

• Enzymes Involved in DNA Replication

1. Helicase : Unwinds the DNA doublehelix

2. Primase : Lays down RNA primers

3. DNA polymerase III : Main DNAsynthesis enzyme

4. DNA polymerase I : Replaces RNAprimers with DNA

5. Ligase : Fills in the gaps

WHO IS RESPONSIBLE FOR THE SEX OF THE CHILD? (General Information)

• Exhibit demonstrates aboutthe fact that father isresponsible for sex of thechild.

•Male has XY chromosomes.

• Female has XX chromosomes.

EXPLANATION ABOUT THE EXIBIT (Additional Information)

• In humans and other mammals,

biological sex is determined by a pair

of sex chromosomes: XY in males and XX in

females

• Male determine the sex of a baby depending on

whether their sperm is carrying an X or Y

chromosome.

• The Y chromosome carries factors responsible for

triggering male development

• An X chromosome from father combines with the

mother's X chromosome to make a baby girl (XX)

and a Y chromosome will combine with the

mother's to make a boy (XY).

AM I UNIQUE?

• An interactive exhibit.

• On pressing the buttons to selectparticular traits one can compare howunique he/she is.

• On completing the test the left displaygives information about total numberof persons who checked in and theright side display gives informationabout no of persons having checked inwith similar traits.

AM I UNIQUE ? (General Information)

• Genetic inheritance is a basic principleof genetics and explains howcharacteristics are passed from onegeneration to the next.

• Exhibit demonstrates that we all aredifferent from one another by somespecial characters such as colour ofeyes, skin, hair etc. are inherited i.e.controlled by genes/alleles while othersare due to environmental conditions.

AM I UNIQUE ? (Additional Information)

• There are four types of inheritance

1. Complete dominance: when one allele – or “version” – ofa gene completely masks another. For e.g. Eye color

2. Incomplete dominance: when a dominant allele, or form of a gene, doesnot completely mask the effects of a recessive allele. For e.g. skin color,height

3. Co-dominance: when both alleles at a gene locus are fully expressed in thephenotype. For e.g. Blood Group.

4. Sex-linked: The transmission to successive generations of traits that aredue to alleles at gene loci on a sex chromosome. For e.g. Colorblindness,Hemophilia

GENETIC DISORDERS (HAEMOPHILIA)

•Exhibit demonstrates how thedisease is transferred from onegeneration to the next.

• An interactive exhibit.

EXPLANATION ABOUT GENETIC DISORDERS(General Information)

• Haemophilia is a disease that prevent the

clotting of human blood.

• A genetic disorder caused by one or

more abnormalities in the genome.

• It is caused by mutation in a gene on X

chromosome. Hence, causing the deficiency of

clotting factors (VIII & IX).

• It mainly occurs in males & affecting 1 in every

8000.

EXPLANATION ABOUT GENETIC DISORDERS (Additional Information)

• The genes associated with these conditions

are located on the X chromosome, which is

one of the two sex chromosomes.

• In males (one X), one altered copy of the

gene in each cell will cause the condition.

• In females (two X), a mutation in both copies

of the gene will cause the disorder.

• In X-linked recessive inheritance, a female

with one altered copy of the gene in each cell

is called a carrier.

GENETIC ENGINEERING (TRANSGENIC PLANTS & ANIMALS)

• Exhibit explains applications of

Genetic Engineering to develop

high quality disease resistant

plants and animals.

• Genetic Engineering is the artificial manipulation, modification,

and recombination of DNA or other nucleic acid molecules in order to

modify an organism or population of organisms.

• Transgenic Plants: Plants that have been genetically engineered.

• Transgenic Animals: Animals genetically modified for a variety of

purposes including new drugs, enhancing yields, disease resistance.

EXPLANATION ABOUT GENETIC ENGINEERING

EXPLANATION ABOUT GENETIC ENGINEERING

Some Common Transgenic plants

ABOUT GENETIC ENGINEERING (Additional Information)

Benefits of Transgenic Plants

1. Increased crop yield, Greater food security

2. Reduced cost of food production

3. Resistance to pests and disease ( at least for some time), hence, reduced need for pesticides

Disadvantages of Transgenic Plants

1. Damage to Human health, could cause allergies

2. Damage to Natural environment

3. Reduction in pesticide use temporary as pests develop immunity/mutate

4. Disruption of Traditional practices

All consequences fully not understood

Transgenic animalsBenefits:

1. Significantly enhance nutrition

2. Decrease livestock diseases

3. Protect the environment

4. Used in testing the safety of vaccines

Risks:

1. Interbreeding with the wild-type may lead toGenetic contamination

2. Competition with Natural Species causingecological and economic damage

3. Horizontal Transfer of Recombinant Genes toOther Microorganisms

4. Adverse Effects on the Health of People or theEnvironment

ABOUT GENETIC ENGINEERING (Additional Information)